The 2016 Crash Courses

25 Things You Can Do Every Morning To Succeed At Work (Number 8 Is Brilliant)

That time in the morning between waking up and leaving to go to work is wasted by most. We struggle to get up and then we rush through our routines, just to get in to work on time. What most people don’t realize is that time can be used to its full potential to make the day ahead even better. With that in mind, we put together a list of things that will benefit your health, career and overall happiness, simple things that you can do before bed and right when you wake up that are guaranteed to make your mind sharper and your body more energized for the day ahead.

Health & Fitness: Plan A Short, Sweet Workout

While it certainly wouldn’t hurt to do an hour of jogging and burpees at the crack of dawn, there’s nothing wrong with a quick round of situps and pushups to start your day. A quick workout right after you wake up will help you focus and give you a charge of energy to help you tackle whatever work has in store for you.

Health & Fitness: Make Your Bed

Immediately make your bed once you get out of it. Not only will this be your first use of physical exertion, but the appeal of a soft, open bed leads many to hit the snooze button. Making your bed will make it that much harder to get back into it, and force you to start your day.

Health & Fitness: Don’t Eat Before Bed

Do you jump into bed right after downing an entire rotisserie chicken? Even though roast chicken is sooooo good, eating your last large meal of the day at least 2 hours before sleeping is what you should be aiming for. Eating too much food before bed can lead to stomach issues, and inviting acid reflux can really throw a wrench into any plans you have for the morning and beyond.

Health & Fitness: Wake-Up Naturally With Light Therapy

Philips

There's no shame in admitting you might need a little help waking up and not functioning like the walking dead in the morning and for the rest of the day. Thank god for the Philips Vitalight. With a soft light that gradually increases brightness, Philips has created a helpful gadget that helps you achieve the one thing we all didn’t know we need: a natural wake-up experience. Your mood could use some help, and extra energy never hurt anyone.

Health & Fitness: Drink Water

True story: ice cold water will stimulate the nerve endings in your mouth and throat, which will keep you from feeling drowsy, so gulping down a glass as you roll out of bed will give you that kick start you need.

Health & Fitness: Respect REM

'90s indie band jokes aside, it is imperative to allow the REM portion of your sleep to take place. REM sleep stimulates the regions in your brain that are used in retaining information, which will help you focus more in the morning and for the rest of the day.

Health & Fitness: Cut Down On The Night Caps

Seriously, you don’t want to go overboard with the boozing before bed. It may help you sleep, but it’ll also dehydrate you and make you feel much worse than you planned when you get up, hindering your efforts at functioning like a human person. This one is a no-brainer that a lot of people just choose to ignore.

Health & Fitness: Shower Before Bed

Contrary to popular belief, we feel that showering before bed as opposed to in the morning is better for you. How? The warm water will relax your muscles, which means a smooth sleep. The same goes for a warm bath (bubbles are encouraged, but not mandatory). You can’t sit in a relaxing tub and take your time in the morning, now can you?

Health & Fitness: Brush Your Teeth

This may seem like a no-brainer — assuming you regularly brush your teeth — but the act itself will act as a bookend. It signals the end of your night and keeps you from overeating or drinking before bedtime, and it marks the start of a brand new day.

Career & Success: Raise Your Energy Level

Philips

Nobody succeeds when operating on low energy levels, especially during the later months of the year. Give yourself a morning boost with the Philips Energy Light once you're up and ready to start your day. This UV-free light therapy device will help fight off any winter blues you may be feeling by providing you with natural daylight that calls back to a bright summer day, and is clinically proven to increase alertness and energy level so you can wake up energized for success at work. And not only is it good for morning energy, it can also give you a boost at work if you're suffering from a mid-afternoon energy slump.

Career & Success: Don’t Sweat Your Phone

Seriously, all those chain emails you think need to be answered at 6 A.M. can wait until you get into the office. Don’t give yourself an insane amount of stress once you get up because that will set the tone for the rest of the day.

This means you should opt out of Facebook and Twitter to bypass the kind of clickbait junk that’ll inevitably make you feel like an awful human being. Try reading something inspirational written by a public figure you look up to, either shortly after you wake up or during your breakfast. Nothing beats positivity at the start of the day.

Career & Success: Lay Your Work Clothes Out Before You Sleep

This works especially well if you have too many clothes and not enough time to think about what you want to wear. Laying your outfit in the living room the night before will help you dedicate more time to yourself in the morning without any stress of trying to pick out what to wear.

Career & Success: Consider Your Brain Before Agreeing To A Crazy Night Out

A 2008 Texas University study concluded that “morning people” got higher grades than those who identified themselves as night owls. Being a "morning person" leads to a more positive attitude towards waking up, which means more drive to do get things done before heading to the office. So pretty much just embrace that you’re a working man that needs to get up, you grumpy gus.

Career & Success: Try Podcasts

There’s a podcast out there for everything, and it may only take one to push you over the fence on making a change in your routine. Start with something easy and inspirational like The Daily Boost to get your morning and day off on the right foot.

Career & Success: Use Your Bed For Sleep. Duh

Your bed isn’t your dining room table, nor is it your office. Your bed should only be used for sleep and sex. Removing excess mental stimulants from your bedroom will allow your nighttime routine to flourish and cut down on harmful activities, like staring at your phone until daybreak.

Career & Success: Get Breakfast With Someone

Setting an early morning eggs-and-toast-date with someone — whether that someone is a friend, coworker, or significant other — will give your mornings more purpose. Extra points if you schedule a meeting with someone at your company who works in a department you’re interested in.

Sometimes you just need to get over the mental hurdle of waking up early, so try waking up earlier. By giving yourself the wiggle room to wake up just a tiny bit before your usual time, you’ll train yourself to become a morning person and own the dawn.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Sleep With The Blinds Half-Open To Allow Some Light To Get In

While it may sound counterintuitive to sleep in anything but complete darkness, the sunlight will help you wake up naturally. If your room doesn’t have a window (lookin’ at you, NYC) try something that will give you the same effects of the sun, like the Philips Vitalight.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Don’t Press Snooze

Ok, it's time for an intervention. Leave that snooze button alone. It’s gonna make you feel worse. It’s a hard habit to break, but knowing you won’t have a little black button ruling your life will make you a stronger and happier person in the morning.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Give Yourself An Early Bedtime

The thing about becoming an adult is that you start to actually like all the things your parents forced you to do — this includes giving yourself a bedtime. How do you follow it? Willpower — shut that computer off early and jump into bed. "Morning you" will thank you, as he’s being productive with a smile on his face instead of cursing his alarm clock.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Make Your Bedroom A Palace

What’s that thing all the kids are saying? Ah yes, "treat yourself." If you can afford it, buy a fancy mattress, sleep on luxury bedding, and purchase a pillow that costs over five dollars. A totally comfy sleep means less pain in your body in the morning, which leads to more movement to help you wake up. Trust us on this one.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Get The Temperature Right

Experts say the optimum temperature for getting uninterrupted shuteye is around 65 degrees fahrenheit. There's nothing that makes humans more uncomfortable and grumpy than a room that's too hot. So if you think you’re bigger than mother nature and choose to sweat through the night to save a little bit of money on electricity, stop.

Happiness & Satisfaction: Try Not To Nap

As attractive as the notion of a post-wake up nap sounds, doing so on the bus or subway to work can mess with your sleep cycle and seriously put you in a weird and even more tired mood during the day. You can find better ways to utilize your time in the morning and during your commute than sleeping again, can't you?